McKenzie has pushed the boat out as far as Kewell is concerned in a bid to keep him at Leeds, offering the 24-year-old what is understood to be a £2.5million-per-year pay package, making him the club’s highest-paid player.

McKenzie, though, is resigned to the fact the lure of Champions League football is likely to prove too strong for ambitious Kewell, who has 12 months left on his current Leeds deal.